Thank you to Alex J. Cavanaugh and this month’s round of volunteers who make this blog hop possible and fun! Victoria Marie Lees, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and C. Lee McKenzie!
This month’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group question asks whether story ideas tend to come from one place or from many different sources. For me, ideas seem to come from everywhere — dreams, reflections, conversations, music, walking, and simply noticing the world around me.
Sometimes a story idea begins with a single image while I’m out walking. Sometimes it begins with a question, a conversation, or a piece of music that sparks an emotion or atmosphere. Other times, an idea grows out of noticing acts of courage, or small moments of beauty in everyday life. I think that’s part of why I’m so drawn to storytelling in the first place: stories help us process the world around us while also imagining worlds beyond it.
Lately, I’ve been balancing podcasting, revisions, and ongoing work in the world of Aramatir.
I’m currently participating in a BookFunnel promotion featuring my sci-fi novel Lift Off, and I’ve released several recent episodes of The Truth About Storytelling, including conversations about film, mythic heroes, cozy storytelling, and why stories like The Mandalorian resonate so strongly with audiences and families.
I’ve also continued reading chapters from Dark Blade Forged on the podcast as the story moves into deeper relational and emotional territory.
Meanwhile, revisions continue steadily on Book 2 of the Dark Blade Trilogy. During the process, I realized I needed to make some major changes to several events in the story — the kind of revisions that can feel daunting, but also help strengthen the larger narrative and character arcs across the trilogy.
Thank you for continuing to support my stories, podcast, and creative journey. I hope your own creative projects are growing in meaningful ways this season as well.